Here I am last week, at the Oak Park Society of Model Engineers,H.O Scale Model Railroad Club in Oak Park Illinois.

I have been a lifelong fan of the former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and now I model it in miniature.

Here I am holding up my Bachman H.O Scale model of an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Alco S 4 yard switcher. This is a very good running model, that features Digital Command Control and Sound.

The locomotive is decorated in Santa Fe's 1950's era black and silver "Zebra Striped" color scheme, which the Santa Fe painted their diesel yard switchers from 1950 to 1960, when a blue and yellow color scheme replaced this one.

A big event that happened in the greater Chicagoland area back in 2009, was the August 1st appearance of visiting Southern Pacific Railroad GS 4 "Daylight" steam locomotive # 4449 to northwest suburban Franklin Park Illinois.

The locomotive is viewed here simmering on display during a rainy afternoon, near preserved Tower B 12 in Franklin Park.

I took this photograph on my way home from work this past Wednsday evening.

Although I am not a big fan of the winter season, it occasionally does have some moments of great beauty attatched to it.

The winter sunset on Wednsday, was a brilliant and very colorful one. I just had to find a quick place to park, get out my camera, and not let this great opportunity pass me by. Although it was a sharp and very bitter cold day with a windchill factor blowing in the air...the effort was all worthwhile.

I took this photograph facing west, on Dewes Street in north suburban Glenview Illinois. Soon another nightfall will be upon us.

I took this photograph last night, in Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood near Midway Airport.

I was visiting my old friend Bill after work, and decided to stop for a bite to eat at the Nicky's Gyros on South Archer and Austin Avenues. That brutal long rush hour commute from Glenview Illinois in heavy traffic, made me very hungry, and I just had to stop at one of my old favorite neighborhood eateries that I used to frequent during the 1980's and 90's.

It's been many years, and the food here is still very tasty and inexpensive today.

I just couldn't resist having a Tamale boat to go. This was always one of my favorites that they served here featuring a delicious bowl of Chilli with cheese and a Tamale. Their signature Big Baby Double Cheeseburger is always welcome here anytime.

Good food and happy memories last night for me last night when I visited this favorite old haunt from my southwest side Chicago days past.

I took this photograph this past January, at the Oak Park Society of Model Engineers,H.O Scale Model Railroad Club in Oak Park Illinois.

My 1960's and 70's era Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad unit grain train to the left, meets fellow club member Chuck Colin's freight train from his own shortline railroad known as the Oak River & South Chicago Railroad on the Missisippi River lift bridge at the Illinois and Iowa state line border.

Chuck's freight train to the right, features a kitbashed 1970's era wide vision caboose, that was rebuilt in to a modern "Shoving Platform " car with the windows and doors welded shut with steel plates.

One of the more unique railroads I had grown up with in Chicago many years ago, was the former Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad which was known by many as just simply refered to as "The Milwaukee Road.

The Milwaukee Road was famous for fast steam powered streamlined Hiawatha passenger trains, investment and modernization with several early models of diesel electric locomotives, horizontal rib sided box cars and cabooses, and sometimes experimental locomotive exhaust system mufflers
and appliances, such as the unique two mufflers mounted on the twin exhaust stacks on locomotive # 672 shown here.

This photograph and many other railroad photographs from the former Milwaukee Road and several other now gone American railroads, can be viewed at the website Fallen Flags.Orgwww.rr-fallenflags.org

We are at the Riverside Illinois Metra commuter rail station on a very bitterly cold
and overcast winter afternoon. My hands and face were stinging from the single digit
outdoor temperatures and sharp windchill factors that day. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!

An eastbound BNSF Railway freight train passes through the station, with a very smokey
diesel locomotive pushing on the rear of the freight train.

We are at the Wolf Road railroad crossing in northwest suburban Des Plaines Illinois on a sunny late autum day in November.

In this behind the scenes view, a railroad maintenance crew from the Union Pacific Railroad, is viewed lowering the Freightliner railroad maintenance truck's Hi Rail wheels on to the rails, in preparation for another inspection trip along the former Chicago & NorthWestern Railroad freight only cut off line.

A heavy all morning lake effect snowstorm had finally stopped falling on the greater Chicagoland area by early afternoon that day, and soon I would be onlocation with my camera in hand, at the River Grove Illinois Metra commuter rail station.

In a scene right out of a Christmas holiday greeting card, an eastbound Canadian Pacific Railroad transfer freight train, passes the station with freshly fallen white snow on the ground at Thatcher Avenue.

One of my favorite local neighborhood eateries I used to patronize when I lived on the southwest side of Chicago many years ago, was the quaint little Nicky's Gyros fast food stand, which is located on the northeast corner of South Archer and Austin Avenues in Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood near Midway Airport.

Nicky's has been in business for many years, and also has a few other locations on the south side of Chicago serving inexpensive and tasty fast food favorites such as their famous Big Baby double cheeseburger, Pizza puffs, Tamale boats (Chilli and a tamale) Grecian gyros, and many other selections of comfort food.

During the mid 1980's, I used to frequent the Nicky's Gyros location on South Kedzie Avenue and West 58th Street in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. I seem to recall that they had a gentleman with a Greek accent who used to shout the orders to the cook in the kitchen behind him. It often sounded like "Two Cheeseborgers and a Pizza Poof.

When I have the occasional opportunity to visit the southwest side of Chicago like I did last night, I try to make it a priority, to stop and visit my Nicky's Gyros place I used to eat at.

It's been many years, and their food is still tasty and inexpensive today.

The more I am cooped up inside during this bitterly cold and snowy Chicago Polar Vortex winter of 2014, the more anxious am getting to see the snow melt, and finally put my roller blades and gear back on.

Myself, several fellow Chicagoans and people around the nation, are just plain "Sick" of winter already.

I hope this snow and ice melts very soon, as I am just dying to go inline roller blade skating at West Park in Des Plaines Illinois like I did last year. It was fun!

Growing up in the city of Chicago like I did, light engine movements over any given railroad line is a common everyday sight. This was especially true over the Belt Railway of Chicago, as they were often locomotives returning to a local yard or terminal after dropping off a transfer train at Clearing Yard, or were sent there to ease a motive power shortage. Sometimes they were sent there for work at the BRC's own large locomotive shop for repairs.

Until recent times, the General Motors Corp RTS model transit bus, rolled many miles down city streets in many towns and cities in North America, serving transit ridership on a daily basis.

Introduced in the late 1970's, these futuristic looking buses were intended as a replacement model for the aging GM TDH Series fishbowl windshield buses introduced in 1959. Many of these were in operation until the early to late 2000's, until replaced by newer models of transit buses.

A former Suburban Transit 1970's era General Motors TDH Series fishbowl windshield "New Look" transit bus, is viewed waiting to turn south at the intersection of South Archer and Harlem Avenues at the Chicago city limits east of Summit Illinois.

The former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe is proboubly my all time favorite railroad that had served the city of Chicago Illinois where I had grown up many years ago.

The former Santa Fe had used this black and silver "Zebra Stripe" color scheme on their diesel yard switcher locomotives from 1950 until 1960, however, a number of these rolled around in this color scheme until the late 1960's at some of their terminals system wide unti repainting or retirement.

A dark blue color scheme with yellow frame and ends had replaced this color scheme in 1960, but it took a while before the paint shop could finish the repainting task.

The entire Chicagoland area suffered a very heavy and wind driven lake effect snowstorm recently on Monday, February 17th during the 2014 President's Day holiday. 5 inches of snow had fallen on the greater Chicagoland area between 9 AM and 9 PM, with a few more inches in some areas.

I took this photograph the next day, in southwest suburban Bridgeview Illinois. This photo was taken on West 83rd Street just west of the intersection of South Oketo Avenue, and shows the extent of the heavy lake effect snow accumulation.

All travel the day before, was very dangerous and time consuming, with nearly zero visibility in some areas.

Another era is coming to a close in near northwest suburban Norridge Illinois in 2014.

For many years, local families would shop for delicious Maurice Lenell Cookies at their very popular Cookie Factory Store located on North Harlem Avenue in Norridge Illinois. My family and I would visit here from time to time when I lived on the near southwest side of Chicago during the 1970's and 80's, and take home boxes or plastic buckets of their many varieties of assorted cookies to take home.

In late 2007, this popular store location closed at the end of December, and has sat here vacant ever since.

Last week, I spotted what appeared to be a large piece of demolition machinery parked along the south side of the building near West Montrose Avenue, and two demolition workers nearby talking by a little skid steer Bobcat front end loader tractor on site. I asked them about what what going on here at the former Maurice Lenell Cookie Factory Store site, and they explained to me that "Yes", it will be demolished very soon.

Aside from the fact that it isn't DCC equipped (Just yet), I need to replace those ancient and inefficient plastic "Horn Hook" couplers from decades ago with Kadees, and the locomotive itself runs great.

This engine is a good choice for Me, as I sometimes operate early 1972 merger era locomotives and equipment from the former Illinois Central Gulf Railroad.

The ICG was created from the August 10th. 1972 merger of the former Illinois Central, and the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroads.

Former G,M & O locomotives like this one, were a common site on everyday ICG trains for the first 5 years of operation, until retired from the roster. They either rolled around in the original color scheme like my model shown here, or were eventually repainted in to the ICG's orange and white color scheme.

This photograph was taken the day after, in southwest suburban Bridgeview Illinois. Believe it or not, it was a very warm and sunny 43 degrees Farenheight, and the dripping snow was melting in the sunshine.

A little known preserved artifact from Chicago's historic railroading past, is this former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad caboose, on display in a local city park along the east side of 80th Avenue, in south suburban Tinley Park Illinois.

As much as I "Hate" wintertime here in the greater Chicagoland area, I must admit...the sunsets at this time of the year are nothing less than spectacular.

Bitterly cold as it was during this recent visit to southwest suburban Bridgeview Illinois, this glorious and very colorful winter sunset at the end of the day, made the freezing all worthwhile for me and my camera.

I took this photograph one lovely autum evening, back in October of 2008.

An eastbound Metra rush hour local commuter train, has finally boarded or disembarked some passengers at the Galewood station, and is now preparing to begin the final leg of it's journey to Chicago Union Station, as the late day sun begins to set in the western sky.

Although the Oak Park Society of Model Engineers, H.O Scale Model Railroad Club operates American prototype trains...you can occasionally find yourself not knowing what might come chuffing down the track next.

Fellow club member Joe, occasionally operates this German prototype 0-8-0 steam locomotive and European two axel cars on the club layout.

This train is an import model from Fleischman, and the locomotive features a high pitched European "Peanut Whistle".

We are on the southwest side of Chicago, in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood near the Chicago city limits, east of neighboring Summit Illinois.

This photograph was taken looking south on South Neva Avenue, just north of the intersection at West 56th Street.

With frequent heavy lake effect snowstorms and several days of bitter bone chilling single digit outdoor temperatures, Chicago's winter of 2014 which was refered to as "The Polar Vortex" was a never ending and relentless cycle of winter's worst offerings weatherwise.

The former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, has been a lifelong favorite of mine.

Although the Santa Fe had began repainting their diesel switcher locomotives from the black and silver zebra striped color scheme, to a blue and yellow color scheme in 1960...many locomotives that were operating scattered about at various terminals on the Santa Fe, rolled around in the black and silver 1950's era colors, until approximately 1968 or so in daily service.

With a bright red "New Image" caboose circa 1966 after rebuilding in tow, this train can easilly pas for one of Santa Fe's own local switching freight trains circa 1967.

A working day goes on business as usual in Chicago, even during a heavy snowstorm.

An eastbound City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation garbage truck, approaches the stop sign at the intersection of West Kinzie Street and North Kilbourn Avenue, while a westbound Union Pacific Railroad empty unit coal train passes by to the left of this photograph.

This is Eddie K, Your host and photographer here at Eddie's Railfan Page.

Wow! Has it been eight years already????I was just looking at some of my older past postings from recent past years, and I just didn't have the time to notice a few days ago, that my fun transportation photo site made it's official debut on Wednsday, February 8th, 2006. Man!

I want to thank everybody for their support and informative input in regards to the many E mails and comments I have received. It was absolutely wonderful having the opportunity to meet some of the many readers in person who are big fans of this website, as well as the many people who eventually gave me the opportunity to step up to the podium, and make public speaking appearances at several local Chicago area public libraries and community centers.

Eddie's Railfan Page has grown and evolved from a mainly railfan train photo site, to a fun website page incorporating videos, historical first hand accounts, photos and stories of Chicago how it used to be, a "Bus day" feature for all the bus fans, some music videos for entertainment, and just a nice element of variety to help keep it interesting. I pride myself on running a fun and very "Family Oriented" clean website, that you can share with your children of they are interested.

Thank you everyone, for helping make Eddie's Railfan Page the fun site that it is today! It's been absolutely great!

Your friendEddie K.

Before we go any further, I would like to hear from some of the many readers out there if possible.

How did you discover Eddie's Railfan Page?

What has been your favorite photo or feature that you have enjoyed viewing?